Jeff Dickerson has been a Chicago Bears beat reporter for ESPN since 2004 with a Bears blog at ESPNChicago.com since April. He also hosts a weeknight Chicago radio show on ESPN 1000 and handles Bears coverage for ABC-7 on television. He has lived in the Chicagoland area his whole life and currently resides in Vernon Hills.In our interview, Jeff comments on what it’s like to be a sports journalist in a huge Chicago market, discusses how he uses the internet (and tweets!) in his work, and gives a little insight into this perplexing Bears season.
SK: Chicago is a huge sports market and the Bears are arguably the biggest in the city. How did you become the Bears beat reporter at ESPN and how demanding is that job during the NFL season?
JD: You know, I actually got really lucky. I began by being a producer out of college, and I would go to Bears home games and work the locker room and try to book guests for the shows that I was producing. Then I started moving more towards the on-air side and volunteered to be the second reporter at Bears home games.
I did that for a couple of years, and in 2004 we had an opening to be a Bears guy. I wasn’t really ever officially given the job – I guess I just kept showing up. They probably felt sorry for me that I was always there and just decided to make me the Bears guy. So I’ve been the Bears beat reporter since 2004 and it is a very demanding job. You’ve got 53 guys on a team, all the coaches and all the front office people, so it is a lot to keep a handle on.
Football is my favorite sport, so I think this is one of the most enjoyable things you can do in this profession because you’re so close to the game and so close to the players that you learn a lot and see things a lot differently. Hopefully it’s a job I can hold on to for a long time to come.
SK: What’s a typical day like for you during Bears season? Are you at Halas Hall covering the Bears every day?
JD: I’m usually at Halas Hall about three days a week. I do a TV show on Fridays for ABC so I have to go into the city to tape that. I also host radio shows on Monday and Tuesday night at the station so I have to be in the city at night for those shows.
I usually work seven days a week during the season with travel days, which are pretty hectic because I have to travel with the team when they’re on the road. It’s a busy week, but it’s tough to put an hour amount on it. I just feel like at the end of the day I earn the contract I have.
SK: With new technology changing the world of journalism, traditional journalists find themselves needing to develop new skill sets. When did you begin using the internet in your work, and how has the web changed the way you report?
JD: Now that I started writing for the website back in April when we debuted ESPNChicago.com, I’m constantly on the internet. And you’re right, you have to adapt with the times. I wasn’t really a trained writer – my degree from Illinois was in broadcast journalism.
When they came to me with an offer to be one of the first writers for the website, I had to take it. So if you don’t adapt in this business, you’re in an awful lot of trouble. I use the internet every day for preparation because it is invaluable with trying to keep tabs on what everyone else is reporting.
SK: I’ve noticed that you’ve been using Twitter a lot, which has become the latest craze. How has Twitter and other social media changed what journalists do and what you do specifically?
JD: I think Twitter is great, especially during training camp because you can give people cool updates and it is tough for people to get out to camp in Bourbonnais. Practices are closed during the season, but you can still use it during the season to get news out quicker.
I’ve started doing a good job of linking on the Twitter account to every story I write for the website. It’s not only a good way to let people see what you’re writing but a way to promote the website as well. I try not to take it too seriously and I try to have some fun with it and make some jokes from time to time.
-photo courtesy of Jeff Dickerson at http://twitter.com/ESPNChiBears
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